Photographic character.



No. 632,670. Patented Sept. 5, I899.

.1. T. BENTLEYL PHOTUGRA-PHIC CHARACTER.

(Application filed Fab. 11, 189B. Renewed Aug. 15, 1899.) (No Model.)

. mlnesses. Inventor W W @6' THI noun mus 00., Mora-uric" WAINiNGT JI. 0v 0 UNITED STATES P TENT OFFIC Y JOHN T. BENTLEY, OF ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE LUOIFORM COMPANY, OF NEW YORK.

PHOTOGRAPHIC CHARACTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 632,670, dated September 5, 1899.

Original application filed May 26, 1897, Serial No. 638,192. Divided and this applieation filed February 11, 1898. Renewed August 15, 1899. Serial No. 727,331. (No 'model.-)

To 00% whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, JOHN T. BENTLEY, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing in Englewood, in the county of Bergen, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Producsame, so that when reproduced by photography the reproduced character will stand out with great clearness and intensity and be more legible than characters as usually constructed.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a face view of a character-sucl1, for instance, as a letter-constructed in accordance with this invention and shown with the light so directed thereon that the luminant zone, hereinafter referred to, is obtained around the same 011 the support carrying such letter. Fig. 2 is a side or edge view thereof; and Fig. is a vertical sectional view taken in line a a,

Fig. 1, and illustrates, on an enlarged scale,

the manner in which the luminant zone is obtained around such letter.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawings.

As a preface to a further description of this improved symbol or character I desire to' state that while a letter of the alphabet is herein shown constructed in accordance with my invention it will be understood, however, that other objects or symbols may be given the same construction, thereby to adapt them for use in the photographic reproduction process referred to in my contemporaneouslypending application, filed May 26, 1897, Se-

irial No. 638,192, of which this is a divisional application, and therefore within the scope of this invention is considered any matter or object which maybe given structural formation substantially similar to that herein shown and described.

In that construction of character shown in the drawings the letter 2 is provided with a reflecting edge, border, or boundary 3, ex-

tending entirely around the same atits inner and outer edges and which border is shown disposed in a general direction inclined to the plane in which the letter-itself is located, and in the preferred form thereof shown herein said general direction is downward and inward from the outer plane or face 4 of the character, said border being so disposed that the rays of light when properly directed thereon will be reflected from said bordersurface onto the plane or surface on which the letter is located or adjacent to which itis disposed. In practice this border or edge 3 is made of a curved, preferably concaved, construction and is preferably such that the facedof the letter is of greater area than the rear portion 5 thereof. By means of this concavous border or edge 3 it will be seen, Fig. 3, that when this improved character is used for the purposes of photographic reproduction and is disposed adjacent to or on an illuminable surface Sand the rays of light are properly directed thereon such rays will strike the curved or concaved edge or border 3 thereof and be diffused therefrom and form a luminant zone '7 on such surface S entirely around the letter and within the body of such letter, the reflected rays being centralized in a relatively narrow zone immediately back of the outer edge 6 of said letter, whereby a greatly-intensified illumination is obtained, that part of the luminant zone substantially in alinement with the line of sight (by the extreme edge of the letter, sec arrow b) being the most brilliant, such zone gradually merging into the normal light area of the illuminable support 8. The letters so constructed and assembled to form the matter to be reproduced may be supported in position by any desired instrumentality adapted for the purposeas, for instance, by being carried on or adjacent to an illuminable supporting-surface 8 in the manner set forth in my contemporaneously-pending application above referred to.

From the above it will be seen that each symbol or character forming the original matter to be reproduced is provided with a concaved border or edge 3 intermediate its front and rear faces, whereby when used for the purposes of photographic reproduction a luminant zone is obtained owing to the reflecting characteristics of such eoncaved border entirely around the letter, so that in the reproduction process the edges of the repro-- duced character will be brought out With great sharpness and clearness, asset forth in said application above referred to.

I desire to state that when this letter or character is used for other purposes than for photographic reproduction the luminant zone formed around the letter greatly increases the visibility, whereby the letter stands out with greater prominence than letters or symbols which are not structurally formed to produce this luminant zone, hereinbefore set forth, so that these improved letters or syinbols can be smaller, if desired, and yet more legible than letters of larger size.

I claim as my invention-- l. A symbol or character having a. coneaved edge or border extending around and located within the outer border-line of said object or character.

2. A letter or analogous character having a concaved border in the rear of its outer or front face and extending entirely around and within the body portion thereof.

3. A character or symbol having its front or outer face of greater area than its rear face, and a curved border intermediate thereof, adapted to produce a luminant zone.

l. A letter or figure having its front face of greater area than its rear face, and a concaved border intermediate thereof.

5. A design, character or figure having a front and a rear face, and a concaved border or edge extending around said symbol between said front and rear faces, and adapted to constitute a reflecting medium for the diffusion of rays of light.

0. In combination with an illuminable surface, of a design, symbol or character sup ported adjacent thereto or thereon and provided with a concaved border intermediate its front and rear faces, and adapted to produce on said illuminable supporting-surface a luminant zone, whereby the matter is adapted for photoreproduction.

T. In combination with an illuminable supporting-surface, of a character, letter or ligure supported adjacent thereto or thereon, and having a front face of greater area than its rear face, and provided with a curved border intermediate said front and rear faces, and adapted to produce on said illuminable supporting-s11rface a luminant zone, whereby the matter is adapted for photoreproduction.

JOHN T. BENTLEY.

lVitnesses:

O. A. WEED, FREDERICK Nimtnyun. 

